The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.' When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. We note that SATS Ltd. (SGX:S58) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?

Why Does Debt Bring Risk?

Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can't easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. Part and parcel of capitalism is the process of 'creative destruction' where failed businesses are mercilessly liquidated by their bankers. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. Having said that, the most common situation is where a company manages its debt reasonably well - and to its own advantage. The first step when considering a company's debt levels is to consider its cash and debt together.

See our latest analysis for SATS

How Much Debt Does SATS Carry?

You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that as of March 2023 SATS had S$1.15b of debt, an increase on S$510.8m, over one year. However, because it has a cash reserve of S$374.4m, its net debt is less, at about S$772.1m.

A Look At SATS' Liabilities

Zooming in on the latest balance sheet data, we can see that SATS had liabilities of S$606.4m due within 12 months and liabilities of S$1.55b due beyond that. On the other hand, it had cash of S$374.4m and S$485.1m worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities total S$1.30b more than the combination of its cash and short-term receivables.

SATS has a market capitalization of S$3.93b, so it could very likely raise cash to ameliorate its balance sheet, if the need arose. But we definitely want to keep our eyes open to indications that its debt is bringing too much risk. The balance sheet is clearly the area to focus on when you are analysing debt. But it is future earnings, more than anything, that will determine SATS's ability to maintain a healthy balance sheet going forward. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.

In the last year SATS wasn't profitable at an EBIT level, but managed to grow its revenue by 49%, to S$1.8b. With any luck the company will be able to grow its way to profitability.

Caveat Emptor

While we can certainly appreciate SATS's revenue growth, its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) loss is not ideal. Indeed, it lost S$48m at the EBIT level. When we look at that and recall the liabilities on its balance sheet, relative to cash, it seems unwise to us for the company to have any debt. Quite frankly we think the balance sheet is far from match-fit, although it could be improved with time. However, it doesn't help that it burned through S$40m of cash over the last year. So suffice it to say we do consider the stock to be risky. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. Be aware that SATS is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

If, after all that, you're more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.